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Happy To Welcome You To The Hallelujah Chorus

I will exalt you my God, the King, I will praise your name forever and ever. Every day I will praise you and exalt your name forever and ever. Psalm 145:1-2

Thursday, January 27, 2011

"Lord, Teach Me To Have A Patient Heart"

Patience is never inherent in human DNA, we all must learn it. From the moment we come screaming and kicking into this alien world, our reality centers around what we want, how we want it and when, usually RIGHT NOW!
Solomon wrote - "A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly." Proverbs 14:29 NIV
I especially like how The Message puts it - "Slowness to anger makes for deep understanding; a quick-tempered person stockpiles stupidity."
I like this one too - "A man of knowledge uses words with restraint and a man of understanding is even-tempered." Proverbs 17:27 NIV
Patience surely must be one of our most sought after and prayed for spiritual disciplines. But, its a learned skill. We have to work through a lot of stupid outbursts and maybe hypertension or even a heart attack before the serious reality of our juvenile habit begins to get our attention. At least that has been true for me, not the heart attack, but I got very close in the mid 80's.
Hair-trigger anger is a weakness of the flesh just like pride, lust, greed, envy and jealousy, and like all such sins, God expects me to recognize it for what it really is, acknowledge it and go to war with Satan to defeat it. Satan is the absolute master at controlling us through our stuff, and we all have our stuff!
But, God is really on my side in this war. He gave me his Holy Spirit to prove it. With the Spirit's instruction and guidance, I can stop "stockpiling stupidity".
I've slowly learned to pay careful attention to what triggers or feeds my anger and outbursts. If I can shut it down before it becomes 'full blown', pun intended, it does less damage to my heart, my life and to others in its path.
Solomon was probably speaking from a podium of experience when he penned these words - "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but anger rots the bones."
I am deeply, eternally grateful to my loving Father for giving me his Holy Spirit because only he can hep me in this war with my true enemy. He has and he will continue. Hallelujah!

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